HC permits Navy to destroy INS Vindhyagiri

The Bombay High Court today granted permission to Indian Navy to destroy a naval ship which had been grounded in the city dockyard for over a year, after its collision with MV Nordlake.

Justice Roshan Dalvi was hearing an application filed by the navy, seeking permission to destroy naval ship INS Vindhyagiri on the ground that ammunition were stored in it and it would not be safe to keep it in such a state for a long period.

MV Nordlake, a Cyprus-flagged container vessel, whilst proceeding in the channel out of JNPT on its outward voyage with a port pilot on board, collided with INS Vindhyagiri on January 30, 2011.

After collision, the naval ship was grounded in the dockyard. The navy had to seek court's permission to destroy it as the high court is presently hearing a dispute over damages sought by the navy from the company owning the vessel.

"The dockyard where INS Vindhyagiri is presently grounded is occupied by several other naval warships. There are other merchant vessels also that ply into the city port which is in the same vicinity. Keeping such ammunition is unsafe and may cause risk to the other ships," the application filed by Navy claimed.

It further said that it would be highly dangerous to remove the ammunition from the naval ship without risking an explosion. "It is imperative not only in national interest, but also in the interest of the safety of life and property in the vicinity that the naval ship be disposed off in the mode and manner that authorities destroy old and decommissioned ships," the application stated.